Manufacture and treatment of textile fabrics



Patented Feb. 27, 1940 PATENT OFFICE- MANUFACTURE AND TREATMENT OF TEXTILE FABRICS Ralph James Mann and Albert Mellor, Spondon,

near Derby, England, assignors to Celanese Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application December 16, 1937,

Serial No. 180,172. In

7 Claims.

This invention relates twthe manufacturemnd treatment of textile fabrics, and particularly to the production of relatively stiff fabrics containing cellulose acetate yarns.

l Ithas now been discovered that stiffness may be imparted to fabrics containing cellulose acetate yarns by treating the fabrics with liquid media which comprise water-soluble agents which have a mild solvent action or a softening 1. action on the cellulose acetate yarns and then, before the action of such agents. is complete, treating the fabrics with warm water 'so as to check the action of, and dissolve away, such agents. By this treatment stiff fabrics of the ll character of organdie may be obtained.

Aqueous ethyl alcohol is a particularly useful tion ,on cellulose acetate comparable with that of ethyl alcohol may also be employed, e. g. ethyl acetate. Mixtures of agents may be employed, e. g.'an aqueous solution containing ethyl acetate and ethyl alcohol. It is generally convenient to a employ aqueous solutions for the treatment but solutions of the agents in other diluents may be employed. I

Preferably the-liquid medium is applied to the fabric at ordinary temperatures though higher or lower temperatures maybe used. The

duration of the treatment will vary with the particular agent employed and may be only a few seconds and seldom more than one minute.

As stated above, in accordance with this'invention the action of the solvent or softening agent is checked before it becomes complete by treating the fabric with warm water. Preferably the temperature of the water is 60 C. or more, and, in general, it may be said' that the higher the temperature of the water the more still are the products obtained. Thus, in treating with hot water fabrics which have been treated with aqueous ethyl alcohol, there is a progressiveincrease in the stiffness of the fabric obtained as so the temperature of the water ,is raised above 60 C. The treatment with warm water is preferably effected by immersing the fabric in the warm water but other-methods may be employed, e. g. the" fabric may be sprayed with a considerable g amount of warm water. After the treatment Great Britain January (Cl. 28-1) v with warm-:waterathe materials may tbe dried in any convenient manner, e. g. by passing the materials through heated chambers or in contact with heated surfaces.

The treatment may very satisfactorily be carried out continuously in apparatus comprising a vessel adapted to hold the treating agent and provided with rollers for guiding the fabric;

through thetreating agent and means outside the vessel for spraying the fabric with warm wateras it leaves the vessel or for leading the fab- .ric through a bath of warm water. In such apparatus the rotation of the rollers may be adusted so as to maintain the fabric under slight tension throughout the treatment. It has been found, in general, that improved stiffening effects are obtained if the material is held under tension during the treatment with the warm water.

The treatment may be applied uniformly over the surface of the fabric or may be applied only to selected areas of the fabric, so as to produce stiffened areas of the fabric in accordance with .any desired pattern. To obtain this latter result the aqueous alcohol or similar treating agent maybe printedior stencilled onuthe fabric in the desired pattern and the fabric then plunged into warm water.

Whilst the invention is applicable generally to fabrics containing cellulose acetate yarns, it is of the greatest importance in connection with the treatment of wovenfabrics in which both the warp and the weft contain cellulose acetate yarns. The fabrics may contain other yarns in addition to cellulose acetate yarns, e. g. yarns of wool, silk or regenerated cellulose.

"The following example illustrates the invention but is not to be regarded as limiting it in any way:

Example I A fabric made entirely of cellulose acetate yarns is immersed in an 80% solution of ethyl alcohol in water at ordinary temperatures and allowed to remain'immersed for five seconds. The fabric is then removed and plunged into a vessel containing water at a temperature of 60 C. The fabric is then removed from the water and dried.

' Y Having described our invention what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Process for the manufacture of stiff, woven fabrics suchas organdie, which comprises subjecting woven fabrics containing cellulose acetate yarns to the action ,ofan aqueous solution of a water-soluble alcohol for a-period of the order of 5 seconds, thentreating the fabric with warm action of aqueous ethyl alcohol con fabric whereby a stiffened fabric is produced.

2. Process for the manufacture of'stifl, woven fabrics such as organdie, whichcomprises subjecting woven fabrics containing cellulose acetate yarns both in the warp and in the weft to the action of an aqueous solution of a water-soluble alcohol for a period of the order of 5 seconds. then treating the fabric with warm water so as to remove the alcohol and drying the fabric whereby a stiffened fabric is produced.

3. Process for the manufacture of stiff, woven fabrics such as organdie, which comprises subjecting woven fabrics containing cellulose acetate yarns both in the warp and in the t to the at least 50% ethyl alcohol for a period of the order of 5 seconds, then treating the fabric with warm water so as to remove the ethyl alcohol and drying the fabric whereby a stiffened fabric is produced.

4. Process for the manufacture of stiff, woven fabrics such as organdie, which comprises subjecting a fabric containing cellulose acetate yarns to the action of aqueous ethyl alcohol containing at least 50% of ethyl alcohol for a period of the order of 5 seconds, then treating the fabric with water at a temperature of at least 60 C. so as to remove the ethyl alcohol and drying the fabric whereby a stiffened fabricis produced.

5. Process for the manufacture of stiff, woven water soas toremove the alcohol and drying the fabrics such as organdie, which aubjecting a fabric containing cellulose acetate yarns both in the warp and in the weft to the action of aqueous ethyl alcohol containing at least of ethyl alcohol for a period of the order of 5 seconds, then treating the fabric with water at a temperature of at least C. so as to remove the ethyl alcohol and drying the fabric the fabric with water at a temperature of at least 60 C. so as to remove the ethyl alcohol and drying-the fabric is produced.

7. Process for the manufacture of-stifi, woven fabrics such as organdie, whichrcomprises subjecting a woven fabric containing cellulose acetate yarns both in the warp and in the weft to the action of -90% aqueous ethyl alcohol for a period of the order of 5 seconds, then treating the fabric wlgile it is under tension with water at a temperature of at least 60 C. so as to remove the ethyl alcohol and drying the fabric whereby a stiffened fabric is produced. I

RALPH JAMES MANN.

AIBERT MEIJDR.

whereby a stiffened fabric 

